'The Voice' Chris Mann: 'Glee fans are unlike anything else'

The Voice contestant Chris Mann has said that he would welcome support from any Glee fans who watched him on the show.

The opera singer appeared as one of The Warblers alongside Darren Criss before leaving the Fox comedy to pursue his musical dreams with a solo tour.

Mann told reporters on a conference call: "I'm tickled at best to be associated with Glee. I was in the original Warblers group. I did 'Teenage Dream' with Darren Criss and then the first sectionals with Hey Soul Sister's 'Train'. Working on Glee is the most fun thing I've ever done up to The Voice."

Mann continued: "[Glee] wanted me to stay on with the group but I had a tour planned for my solo career and that would have prevented me doing something I had already committed to. I made the decision to put my dream first and take a chance and walk away from Glee. I did that and then The Warblers blew up and I felt I'd made a huge mistake, but I had faith in myself and my destiny."

He added: "The Glee fans are unlike anything else I've ever seen so I will accept and be thankful for any support they want to offer me in The Voice."

Mann told reporters that he knew he took a risk by choosing to perform an Italian song in his blind audition, but his bravery paid off when Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green both signalled an interest in working with him.

"I was nervous when I went for that blind audition because I didn't know if anyone would turn around for me," he said. "My first choice was to work with Christina, who is undoubtedly a powerhouse vocalist of a my generation. I also thought Cee Lo might turn around because he has a varied appreciation of music.

"Cee Lo actually turned around first and in that moment it got a little sticky. I think Cee Lo could have done something completely original with an adult contemporary artist like myself so I was very tempted by that and honored that he turned around, but I had to go with my gut and the dream come true of working with Christina Aguilera."

Mann added that he had been drawn to The Voice over other shows because it allowed him to be unique: "I felt that in the past there wasn't a place for me on these shows because they mainly focus on young pop styles and I'm 29 and singing classically.

"When I saw The Voice last year it just resonated with me how much focus was placed on the actual talent and not on the drama or anything else that isn't as important as the artistry itself. I was chomping at the bit to have an opportunity to be on that stage and let my music speak for itself."

Mann - who said that watching himself on the post-Super Bowl episode had been "bizarre and special" - also spoke about his career goals for the future.

"I would love to collaborate with Josh Groban or Celine Dion," he said. "My dream has always been to perform on stages all over the world in a classical sense, so working with Josh would be amazing."